President and Commander in Chief of the Republic of Baltusia
The President and Commander-in-Chief of Baltusia is the head of state and supreme commander-in-chief of the Baltusian Armed Forces. They hold the highest office in the whole of Baltusia. The current President of Baltusia is Addison Douglas. Powers and duties Legislative role The President is very limited legislatively, they have no power to pass legislation without a 50% + 1 vote in favour in Parliament and cannot veto any legislation proposed by Parliament. So whilst the President has significant constitutional and executive powers, they're significantly limited legislatively by the actions of Parliament. Because of this, any decisions taken by the President aren't guaranteed to succeed, so many view Parliament as the most powerful body in the nation. Executive powers Perhaps the most important of all presidential powers is command of the Baltusian Armed Forces as commander-in-chief. While the power to declare war is constitutionally vested in Congress, the president commands and directs the military and is responsible for planning military strategy. Along with the armed forces, the president also directs Baltusian foreign policy. Through the Department of State and the Department of Defense, the President is responsible for the protection of Baltusians abroad and of foreign nationals in Baltusia. The president decides whether to recognize new nations and new governments and negotiates treaties with other nations, which become binding in Baltusia when approved by a two-thirds vote of Parliament. The president is the head of the executive branch of the government and is constitutionally obligated to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." The executive branch has over two million employees, including members of the military. To manage the growing federal bureaucracy, Presidents have gradually surrounded themselves with many layers of staff, who were eventually organized into the Executive Office of the President of Baltusia. Within the Executive Office, the President's innermost layer of aides (and their assistants) are located in the Presidental Palace. Pay and official residences The President of Baltusia is paid a salary according to a pay grade defined in comparison to the pay grades of the most seniors members of the Baltusian Civil Service. In addition they are paid a residence stipend of 3%, and a function stipend of 25% on top of the salary and residence indemnity.. The salary and the residence stipend are taxable for income tax. Cabinet of Baltusia The Cabinet of Baltusia is composed of the most senior appointed members of the executive branch of the government, and are the heads of the executive departments. All Council members are nominated by the president and then presented to the Parliament for confirmation, with at least 50% needing to vote in favour for it to be approved - anything less is recorded as a defeat. If they are approved, they are sworn in and then begin their duties. Cabinet ministers serve at the pleasure of the President, which means that the President may dismiss them or reappoint them at will. Beginning in 3250, all living former presidents were granted a pension, an office and a staff. The pension has increased numerous times with Parliament's approval. Retired presidents now receive a pension based on the salary of the current administration's cabinet secretaries. Former presidents who served in Parliament may also collect congressional pensions. The Former Presidents Act, as amended, also provides former presidents with travel funds and franking privileges. Additionally, all former presidents, their spouses, and their children until age 16 are protected by the Secret Service until the president's death. Some have had significant careers after leaving office. They may also use their predecessors as emissaries to deliver private messages to other nations, or become official representatives of Baltusia to state funerals and other important foreign events. Current cabinet of Baltusia. Presidents of Baltusia Here is a list of all Presidents since the title was changed to 'President and Commander-in-Chief' starting from May 4106: *Megan White was elected to three terms, but only served two and a half after special elections were called. Since April of 4365, the official Title of the Head of State of Baltusia, changed to "President of the Republic", hence the period was titled as The Republican Era. Presidents of the Republican Era Category:Politics of Baltusia Category:Heads of State Category:Baltusia